Research laboratories tend to be very resource-intensive settings, from energy usage for machines to waste produced from single-use materials. While these resources are necessary inputs for the importance of scientific research, they can often be practiced unsustainably. The University of Iowa Lung Biology and Cystic Fibrosis Research Center (LBCFRC), a research lab located on the 6th floor of the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, is rewriting this narrative by incorporating sustainability into their research practices.
In April of 2024, the LBCFRC created the Biomedical Sustainability Initiative (BSI). The BSI encourages practices that promote waste reduction, energy efficiency, and sustainable lab management within research laboratories. To fully understand what this initiative is all about, I sat down with Lorena Tran, a researcher at the LBCFRC and staff member within the Biomedical Sustainability Initiative.
“Our goal is really to make research more sustainable, because with health sciences research, which is what we’re in, the idea is to improve human health”, Tran said. “We can't be seeking to improve human health when we're doing so much that's detrimental”.
Although many may not realize it, research labs contribute immensely to energy usage and waste production. Tran commented that most waste produced in their research center is disposed of as biohazardous, so it will either get incinerated or sterilized with ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic chemical.
However, Tran noted that “about 80% of the things people throw in biohazardous waste aren’t actually classified as biohazardous waste”. The Biomedical Sustainability Initiative uses methods like recycling cleaned plastics and purchasing products with less packaging to divert their wasted items from biohazardous waste management.
While the waste footprint of a research lab can be large, the energy footprint is often larger. Part of the BSI is designed to address that issue, too.
“40% of campus energy use is from research or research buildings”, Tran said. “There are a lot of machines in the lab that use a ton of energy and are left on all the time, so we’re trying to develop creative solutions for that”.
From raising the temperature of ultra-low temperature freezers from –80° to -70°C, to shutting the sash on fume hoods, to simply placing “Turn off when done” stickers on equipment, the Biomedical Sustainability Initiative is making headway on energy efficiency in its various 6th floor labs.
A little more than a year after beginning the BSI , the team decided to begin the pursuit of a My Green Lab certificate in February of 2025. This is a renowned certificate utilized by labs across the world to designate themselves as practicing sustainable methodology and research. Tran walked me through what the certification process has looked like so far for the LBCFRC.
“First, they have you send out this engagement survey”, Tran said. “The survey asks questions like, ‘Do you turn your computer off at the end of the day’, and it asks about 70-100 questions like that”. A survey was sent to each of the 19 principal researchers and their lab assistants located in the LBCFRC—about 70 people.
After the survey is sent out, associates at My Green Labs will assess the responses, and assign a score determined by what sustainability initiatives—from energy efficiency to water conservation—are doing well and which need to be worked on. For example, Tran noted that storing data in the cloud as a way to conserve energy had not been well addressed in their lab’s sustainable model, so they did not receive as great a score in that field.
With this assessment tool, My Green Labs can also recommend new sustainable initiatives to implement in labs, like purchasing habits.
“One of the small things recommended was purchasing; it’s good we have so many different labs and so many different investigators, though a lot of the time people will purchase duplicates of things; or people will buy something from the same company, but it will get shipped in two different boxes because two different people ordered it” Tran explained.
Having a more organized, combined effort of purchasing lab items will cut back on waste produced from duplicates and fossil fuel consumption from duplicate shipments. Even small, seemingly unrelated habits can make all the difference when it comes to sustainable solutions, as the LBCFRC has come to find through the My Green Labs certification process.
The process is almost complete, as the final surveys are being finished by researchers to indicate the sustainable changes made to their lab practices. Tran notes that the certification will likely be completed in the next couple of months, once the last assessment based off the survey results is conducted by My Green Labs.
This certification will mark a huge milestone for sustainability initiatives in labs, as it will be the first My Green Labs certification for the University of Iowa, as well as the state of Iowa.
“I think for us, My Green Labs was a way to get a certification to reflect on the efforts we were already doing”, Tran said. “We hope that people will be able to see this and be inspired to take on the certification process too”.
To read more about what practices the Biomedical Sustainability Initiative promotes, look for more information on their website here.